The first shriek came from the barber chair beside me. “Daylight Savings Time is this weekend?” A groan sounded from the corner. “It takes me longer each spring to adjust.” “Why can’t we skip it?” said a third. As the stylist cut my hair, I pondered the comments, and found myself in agreement. Losing an […]
Humor
Bidding A Colleague Goodbye
I met Loretta Miller Mehl at an Oregon Christian Writer’s conference one spring. When I read her name tag, I realized she was the grandmother of friends—her son and his wife homeschooled their children through the same channels I homeschooled mine. I said, “I know who you are!” She gave me a skeptical smile. When […]
Nothing Super Here
Girls team sports were not an option when I attended high school. My exposure to group athletics came from mandatory physical education classes. That suited me. I found basketball confusing, sometimes shooting the ball at the wrong basket. Softball proved tedious when I could do little more than swing—which wasn’t often. Track found me panting […]
When Writers Attract Fans
A writing friend, who recently signed a book contract and whose novel was published, received a note from a reader who not only loved the story, but also wanted to connect on social media. To my friend, the comment was like spreading fudge sauce and sprinkles on a banana split already loaded with ice […]
When Writers Create Dialogue
The woman sat up straight in the restaurant booth, head pressed against the cushioned back. As her companion approached, she lifted a pointer finger to her lips, and gestured for her friend to sit. On the table a notepad covered with scribbles rested beneath her palm, the pen in her hand busily writing notes. “Juicy […]
Reflections on Forty Years of Marriage
Last weekend my husband and I celebrated our fortieth anniversary. Unlike some who plan a monumental trip or a dream vacation, we considered several options and decided to take three days and travel to some of our favorite places on the Oregon coast—no agenda, no destination—just us and time. Everywhere we went, we were congratulated. […]
Forming A Child’s God Image
Never without a second pursuit to earn extra income, my father defined the word entrepreneur. A tool-and-die maker when his family moved from their big city home to the small mill town where he met my mother, Dad worked as a lumber grader while he and Mom reared their children. To supplement his earnings, Dad […]
How Firm is Your Foundation?
I remember our first building project together as a married couple as if it happened yesterday. We’d purchased a woodstove, a late seventies craze of the Pacific Northwest. My husband built a wall and chimney around it. We’d removed a glass patio door and hauled home the brick. The parting comment of the retailer—“Marriages and […]
Happy M-O-T-H-E-R’s Day
With thoughts of mothers and a special day to celebrate them this week, today I toast the real reason women are mothers—their children. Using the acronym we are all familiar with—M-O-T-H-E-R—with a nod to the original writer who gave us the song based on the same, I offer my own version. M— is for the […]
Where God Waits
In a recent week my schedule rolled downhill like a log before an avalanche, the planned activities cancelled before they had a chance to see daylight. With each change came a strange sense of loss, my busy life suspended, dwindling to a list of commitments as full of holes as a slice of Swiss cheese. […]